I'm doing some research on what would be more helpful to know at a persons start in motorcycling versus learning it over years in the "school of hard knocks".

Things like..."Don't transport a bike on the centerstand. It might break the frame". or "Standing up on the pegs or at least putting more pressure on them makes the bike less top heavy and better to control at low speed".

Could you help my research by answering the following question...What did you wish someone told you about motorcycling when you first started out?

Be very careful about overtorquing bolts threaded into aluminum castings on motorcycles. Best to back off a bit from recommended torques a bit. Motorcycle bolts and castings tend to need much lower torques than automotive stuff.

Too many people think they need a bigger, better faster, etc bike. I started on a small, old bike because I couldn't afford anything more. Eventually, when I could afford it, I got one of the fastest bikes available at the time, a Yamaha FJ1100. It only took a few rides with a bunch of old geezers on their old BMWs to show me that It's not the bike, it's the rider that counts (Yeah, they left me in the dust). When I moved "down" to an EX500, I got a lot faster and had more fun.

Especially relevant to the ATGATT folks; No matter what you wear- you are invisible. Most drivers don't see you and they're happy that way until you scratch their paint. Never expect a car to do the rational or predictable thing. Never never never.

The bike is better than you are. When you think you've come into a turn too hot, do not chop the throttle, keep it constant and look through the turn.

You're most dangerous to yourself when you think you've mastered motorcycling. This can lead to complacency and bite you. This is an issue for noobs in the 6-12 monnth experience range. There is always room to improve your riding.

That one always bothred me. As a person growing up in big cities, I never saw a dirt bike and certainly never heard of anywhere to ride one. Maybe things are different now, but if you live in a city- not everyone can afford a dirt bike AND a pick-up.

It seems stupid but some people specially in cars seems to not care if they risk a turn and crash their vehicle. In a bike it is very important to be extra carefull because any crash could mean a serious injury wether you are wearing gear or not.

Never outride your sight distance; be able to stop on the road you can see, even if you've been on the same road a thousand times.

Never accelerate into a situation that looks out of the ordinary for any reason. As a matter of fact, when approaching a situation that looks strange (car parked on the shoulder, people near the road, etc) it's a damn good idea to drop 10 MPH from your speed if it is safe to do so.

Trust your gut.

Learn how to brake hard and practice it at least once a season, preferably more.

On the subject of braking i found in my experience that if you always use a proper braking technique (i.e. that is effective) it always pay up when you have to actually brake hard in an emergency, i sometimes surprised myself how well i reacted but i know it was because no matter how slight the braking i always press my legs, relax my arms to keep my ability to manouver, dont put to much stress on the brakes, etc.

Million things, well nearly, lot of really good advise in the post's before,staying focused,slow into curve's, fast out, learn to counter steer,if you havent allready,have a few goe's at the local track if possible, i went to a defenssive riding course, which was really worth it. One more thing somebody mentioned before but i'll say it again, dont try to stay with faster more experienced riders, plenty of time for that later, good luck, this is the best pastime in the world, par none,well maybe skiing.